HP to Make Linux Pre-Installed on Notebook

[Robert Wolfe]

By MATTHEW FORDAHL, AP Technology Writer

SAN JOSE, Calif. - In a sign the Linux (news - web sites) operating system  
may be gaining traction beyond servers and other back-room systems,  
Hewlett-Packard Co. said Tuesday it will be the first major PC maker to  
ship a business notebook computer pre-installed with the open-source  
software.

The HP Compaq nx5000 will feature Novell Inc.'s SuSE Linux and support a  
CD burner, a DVD and media player, wireless connectivity and the  
OpenOffice software suite. It will start at an estimated street price of  
about $1,140 — about $60 less than the basic model outfitted with  
Microsoft Corp.'s Windows XP (news - web sites) Professional operating  
system.

Though Linux is a viable alternative to Windows in servers and  
workstations, its adoption on desktop and notebook PCs has been slowed by  
a dearth of popular programs and software drivers that control peripherals.

In the nx5000, HP has brought together the drivers required for the  
notebook to manage power, control printers and other devices, said Martin  
Fink, HP's vice president for Linux.

"All of those parts of this notebook have been turned on, work completely  
and are fully supported," he said.

But HP is not alone. Rival Sun Microsystems Inc. sells a Linux-based  
software called the Java Desktop System, and computer manufacturer Tadpole  
Computer Inc. offers notebooks with it.

Unlike Windows and other proprietary software, the programs that make up  
Linux are developed by a community of paid and unpaid developers. No  
single company controls the code, and anyone can improve upon it as long  
as changes are also shared with others.

Linux has a reputation for performance, reliability and low cost, though  
Microsoft and others have questioned whether it's in fact faster, cheaper  
and more secure in the long run than proprietary operating systems.

The HP notebook is available in North America through HP's online store  
and to international customers on request. Fink said the launch is a test  
"so that we can see the take up we get for this particular product."

Shares of HP closed at $20.25, down 12 cents, in Tuesday trading on the  
New York Stock Exchange (news - web sites).

The open-source movement got a separate boost Tuesday when IBM Corp.  
announced that it would contribute $85 million worth of programming code  
used in a database program. By releasing the code to the Apache Software  
Foundation, IBM hopes to kick-start the development of open-source  
applications that work with the database, known as Cloudscape.

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